Case Van Duzer likes to hide. And then reveal something after all. Recentlyemerged from the small but ambitious studio/label of local Berlin favoritesLonski & Classen, the intimacy of the new album Gift Horsie (Osthafen, 2015)invites the listener to a secret place, where surreal happenings anddream-like transformations are the norm, underscored by a pop sensibilitywhich deftly blends the familiar/traditional with the modern/unknown.

Iskwé

Called ‘One to Watch’ by The Grid TO and one of the ‘Top 10 CanadianMusicians

You Need to Know’ by CBC Music, Iskwé’s cross-cultural aesthetic is asstriking as her tripped-out blend of soul. The name Iskwé (pronounced iss-kway) means ‘woman’ in her native language. Iskwé’s debut album weaves together herIrish and Cree/Dene roots with hip hop breakbeats, left-field R&B, and traces ofpiano pop (Think Esthero meets Alicia Keys).

The album incorporates an amalgam of sonic techniques that embrace mood and atmosphere while echoing traditional pop codes. Vintage record crackles and downtempo undercurrents on “So Over You” bring to mind the trip hop ambiance of Portishead, seguing into the hip-swaying beats of “Recycle,” featuring a cameo from M1 of Dead Prez, and shaped around Iskwé’s smooth-as-butter vocals.

The pop/soul diva tries her hand at electronica on “Wandering,” a cut that swirls into club-banging territory with its massive dubstep drops.

“One Better” is a call-to-action break-up anthem sung with the pain of past experience, while the equally empowering closing track “Slack Jaw, which features crawling electro-fused basslines and scorching guitars courtesy of Donna Grantis (current guitarist for Prince), Iskwé can’t hide her apathy to try and fit into the current pop landscape with lines, such as “I ain’t got no energy to make it as a pop/rock star. Even though I’ve been dreaming that I’d go far.” “Slack Jaw” was also recently listed as #1 on the National Aboriginal Music Countdown, and was voted regional finalist of CBC Music’s Searchlight competition. The Winnipeg-bred, Toronto-based singer-songwriter, who has also had stints in LA and NYC, has performed alongside Motown greats The Funk Brothers and electronic DJ crew A Tribe Called Red. Singing about her struggle to fit into/break away from Western archetypes, Iskwé’s connection to her roots and traditions is an important part of her artistic vision. With her debut effort, Iskwé carves out her own musical identity, bridging her modern and cultural influences while challenging the current mold.
https://iskwe.bandcamp.com/album/iskwehttps://casevanduzer.bandcamp.com/

The Hussy /// "are a two piece psych punk band from Madison, WI. Guy/Girl. Bobby/Heather. Guitar/Drums. Both members sing equally. Formed in the sweltering summer of 2008, the band has released three LPs, one split 12” with synth punk titans DIGITAL LEATHER, one 10” EP, eight 7”s and five cassettes since then; all of which house unique material....And they’re not done yet! The Hussy’s 4th LP, entitled “Galore” is due out in June via Oakland’s predominant garage label, Southpaw Records (Bare Wires, Ty Segall, Warm Soda, Sam Coffey, ETC), with a companion 7” EP to follow on San Diego’s Volar Records. “Galore”, the band’s 4th LP promises to catch up where the band last left off on their 3rd LP, “Pagan Hiss”: garage rock simplicity and punk rock urgency interwoven pop sensibilities that will keep you coming back for repeated listens."

Sick Horse /// "nothing but power drama from Spain, Chile, Israel and Germany. Anti-you, no merch, no excuses. Tough, half-tough, fast, double-time, windy and untamned like a grandpaish newborn hooking you up with the wrong crowd, decorated with medals and music."

+ DJ Teenage DreamIl Tempo Gigante (DK)Copenhagen­-based Il Tempo Gigante, alias Rolf Hansen, creates an air of hushed intensity through a virtuosic and highly original use of loops, guitar and voice. His elegant spider web­ like compositions are imbued with melodic durability and stands out in their fascinating offbeat arrangements that gently, but determined, oppose every tendency to idealization. With a distinctive guitar playing style and epic lyrics he carries the listener into all kinds of human experience and there’s often a presence on stage that makes a very thin line between sender and receiver.

Deep Sound Diver (US)Deep Sound Diver started in 1994 in Baltimore, Maryland as a performance collective featuring the songs and compositions of Spencer Chakedis. In 1996, the band regrouped iin Orlando, Florida, and then to New York City in 1998. Currently, Deep Sound Diver resides in Brooklyn, rocking out whenever they can. They have made three albums, "Fueling the Fire of Delusion," "Against the Guardrail," and the double-album "Spree."

ZOLLE Only those who know the ease of a cow while defecating can understand the genesis of the songs of Zolle.

Children of a natural path, direct, compact, subject to the force of gravity.

Impact safe with warm soul that does not end in the fall to the ground.

Even the sketches are lost.

In this contemporary, complex and indefinite, spare plates affirm the essential, appearing as furrows of land of the plain from which they come.

Being broken, turned, crushed, chopped.

Scents and smells merge into a single mass of sound: Zolle.

Porkestra, Zolle's new album, breaks down the wall between the dining room and the studio. Conceived entirely during the digestive process, transforms the stay at the table in sonic power, violent and positive. Is the son of human momentary pleasures, sometimes overflowing, which can kill.